Amazon introduces additional support measures to help small and medium businesses bounce back from COVID-19

Globally, Amazon
announced that it will invest US$18 billion in 2020 to support small and medium
businesses and that it will spend an additional US$100 million to promote small
businesses during Prime Day and through the holiday season

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In Singapore,
Amazon is one of the qualified e-commerce solution providers under the Digital
Resilience Bonus administered by IMDA, and eligible local retailers who
register to sell on Amazon.sg can receive a bonus of up to S$2,500

 

SINGAPORE - Media OutReach - 18
September 2020 - (NASDAQ:AMZN) — In 2020, Amazon has provided
support to thousands of local retailers and helped many of them to build
thriving businesses by selling on Amazon.sg,
and is keen to do more. Now, local retailers selling on Amazon.sg who meet the eligibility
criteria can also receive the Digital
Resilience Bonus (DRB) administered by the Infocomm Media Development Authority
(IMDA). In addition, as part of Amazon’s continued global commitment to support
small and medium businesses (SMBs) during COVID-19, Amazon announced that it
will invest US$18 billion to help SMBs worldwide sell to customers, including
investments in logistics, tools, services, programs, and people. These
initiatives add on to the support measures for local retailers that Amazon has
leaned in to provide, including an ongoing
collaboration with Enterprise Singapore
on the eCommerce Booster Package which offers eligible local retailers a
one-time grant of up to S$9,000 when they register to sell with Amazon.sg.

“As local retailers
continue to adapt to the new normal, digitalisation is key to enabling them to
build resilience and tap into new revenue streams domestically and
internationally. Small and medium businesses
are a part of Amazon’s DNA and we remain committed to their success. The new initiatives will provide the necessary push in encouraging
local retailers to step up digitalisation efforts and we’re happy to work with IMDA on the Digital Resilience Bonus to offer additional support to them during this time of need,” said Bernard
Tay, Country Leader, Amazon.sg Seller Services and Head of Amazon Global
Selling Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

“The recently announced Digital Resilience Bonus (DRB)
under the SMEs Go Digital programme encourages retail and food services
enterprises to take prompt action in adapting to the new normal through
digitalisation. It is heartening to see industry leaders like Amazon coming
forward to enable businesses reach out to more customers online and help their
SME partners benefit from the DRB.” said Catherine Chong, Director, SMEs Go
Digital, IMDA. 

 

Helping local retailers emerge
stronger from the pandemic

Since the onset of COVID-19, Amazon has introduced a
pipeline of initiatives targeted at supporting the local small and medium
business community in their online selling journey. These include:

 

• New
  resources by Amazon help retailers digitize

Amazon
announced that
it is on course to invest US$18 billion this year to help small and medium
businesses to sell to customers, including investments in logistics, tools,
services, programs, and people. Since the beginning of the year, Amazon has
launched more than 135 free tools and services to help sellers grow their sales
in Amazon’s store. In Singapore, Amazon recently launched
its Seller University, an
online education portal offering complimentary training videos and tools so
retailers new to eCommerce can learn how to create effective product listings
faster and master the key tools and applications for selling on Amazon.

 

Other resources available include
the Amazon Seller App for local
retailers with accounts on Amazon.sg to track sales and manage their business
via mobile. For retailers to build and nurture their businesses online, Amazon
also rolled out its Marketplace Appstore, a one-stop shop to discover
third-party applications and services for automating tedious business aspects,
and the Seller Forum, a resource for first-hand advice from fellow business
owners on selling with Amazon. Sellers can also join the Sell on Amazon Singapore Facebook page to connect with the community of sellers on
Amazon.sg.

 

• Digital
  Resilience Bonus (DRB) with IMDA

The DRB is one of the efforts by the Singapore Government
to uplift the digital capabilities of a broad base of enterprises. For a start,
the DRB will benefit the food services and retail sectors which have been
deeply affected by safe distancing measures amidst COVID-19. Amazon is one of
the e-commerce providers that qualifies as a solution for the DRB. Eligible
retailers who sell on Amazon.sg and fulfil the other mandatory requirements can
receive a one-time S$2,500 automatic cash payout. Detailed information on the
DRB, including its eligibility criteria can be found here and in
the Appendix.

 

• Recognizing
  home-grown businesses and celebrating their journeys

In a bid to raise more awareness for local businesses, Amazon
recently launched a dedicated
“Shop Local” storefront on Amazon.sg. The “Shop Local”
initiative features local brands’ founding stories and a plethora of products
from local businesses in categories such as home and home improvement,
electronics, kitchen and dining, health and personal care, toys and games,
groceries and more. The “Shop Local” storefront will shine a spotlight on the
diversity of local retailers selling on Amazon.sg, positioning them for
increased sales during Prime Day and throughout Q4.

For more information about selling on Amazon.sg, visit: amazon.sg/sell

APPENDIX:
FAQs

1.       Eligibility criteria for the Digital
Resilience Bonus Payout (Reference)

• To qualify for DRB, an enterprise must be: (i) incorporated on or
  before 26 May 2020 with a Food Service or Retail SSIC code and (ii) using the
  digital solutions between 1 June 2020 and 30 June 2021.
• Eligible enterprises can receive payouts of up to S$10,000, if
  they:

a)       Adopt PayNow Corporate and PEPPOL
e-invoicing; and

b)      Adopt the digital solutions in the
required categories

• The payout for Category 1 and 2 is S$2,500 per
  enterprise per category, while the payout for Category 3 is S$5,000 per enterprise.
  Enterprises that fulfil all categories will receive S$10,000. Digital solutions
  in each category are illustrated in the tables below.

 

2.       What are the types of retail
enterprises that qualify for DRB?

• Retail enterprises include those in footwear, bags, clothing,
  furniture, jewellery, watches, cosmetics, hardware, pet supplies, toys, books,
  handphones and computer hardware. To view the full list of qualified SSIC for
  Food Services and Retail sectors, please visit the Digital Resilience Bonus
  webpage at www.imda.gov.sg/DRBonus.

3.      
How do eligible retailers on Amazon.sg apply for
DRB?

• Eligible Singapore retailers who have a digital presence on e-commerce
  solutions including on Amazon.sg and have sales records between 1 June 2020 and
  30 June 2021 will be eligible for the Category 2 payout of S$2,500. Retailers
  also need to fulfil the baseline mandatory criteria, i.e. have a qualified
  primary SSIC (as listed on IMDA’s website) as at 26 May 2020, be registered on the Nationwide E-invoicing
  Network and have a PayNow Corporate account. Detailed information on the DRB can
  be found here https://www.imda.gov.sg/DRBonus).
• There is no need for enterprises to apply for DRB. As a qualified
  solution provider, Amazon submits the unique entity number (UEN) and business
  name of Singapore retailers who made sales on Amazon.sg from 1 June 2020 to 30
  June 2021. This submission is made on a monthly basis, starting from 5
  September 2020 for Amazon.sg. IMDA checks whether the retailers have met the
  other mandatory criteria and pays out S$2,500 to those who have, through their
  PayNow Corporate accounts. No money is transferred to Amazon. Each eligible retailer
  will receive this bonus only once for each Category.

4.      
When will the payouts be made?

• The first enterprises that adopted the pre-defined solutions have
  received their first Bonus payouts in August. Those that adopt later will
  receive their Bonus payouts in later months. IMDA has a monthly cycle of
  assessing enterprises’ eligibility for the Bonus and making the Bonus payouts.
• Assessment of eligibility for the DRB payouts is based on whether
  an enterprise has used the solution, regardless of the date when the solution
  was deployed.
• The Bonus payout will be paid through your PayNow Corporate
  account. You can check your account statement to see if you have been paid.

5.       If I get paid for fulfilling Category 1,
and I subsequently qualify for Category 2, will I receive the second payout
upon fulfilment of Category 2?

• Yes, the Bonus for each category will be extended to you if you
  adopt all the solutions in that category and meet the mandatory requirements.
  The total payout for each enterprise upon fulfilment of all three categories is
  S$10,000.

6.      
What is the frequency of the payouts?

Each eligible
retailer will receive the Digital Resilience bonus only once for each Category.

7.      
Are retailers who have signed up for the Enterprise Singapore’s e-Commerce Booster Package with Amazon eligible to
receive the Digital Reslience Bonus?

Yes,
eligible retailers who qualify can benefit from both of these initiatives.

About Amazon

Amazon is guided by four principles:
customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention,
commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews,
1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfilment
by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire
TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered
by Amazon. For more information, visit Amazon.sg.